


Spin For You

by sunshinexbomb



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Singer!Harry, Singer!Zayn, director!niall, lilo being menaces, oh no niall, songwriters!Lilo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 23:45:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3997702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinexbomb/pseuds/sunshinexbomb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You and Zayn will be going home together tonight if it’s the last thing Payno and I ever do. This pining has gone on too long.”</p><p>Niall rolls his eyes, muttering, “I’m not pining.”</p><p>“Totally are, mate,” Liam says sympathetically, cuddling into Niall’s side. “But it’s okay. Zayn totally is too. He’s just too,” Liam pauses, making some vague hand gestures, “y’know, to admit it.”</p><p>--</p><p>Or in which Niall has a big, huge obvious crush on Zayn and just won't admit it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spin For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [niallszayn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/niallszayn/gifts).



> For the prompt "Young football/golf/any kind of sports player Niall and model/singer/... Zayn meet at an event (gala/movie premiere/...) and they both secretly have the biggest crush on each other. They also both have one (or two) friends with them who know exactly how they feel and aren't ashamed to do some pushing..." which I totally didn't realize I read wrong until I was halfway done the fic so I'M VERY SORRY ABOUT THAT AND HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS ANYWAY EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THERE IS NOT ATHLETE!NIALL PLEASE FORGIVE ME.
> 
> Thank you very much to one of my very trusty betas, you know who you are! All other mistakes are my own.
> 
> I do not own any current or former members of One Direction and this is clearly fictional. Title is from Fall Out Boy's "Favorite Record".

  
Niall tries not to laugh, he really does. It’s just that, well, Harry makes it so damn hard sometimes.  
   
“What are you wearing?” Niall splutters out, covering his mouth with his hand in a vain attempt to hide his giggles.  
   
Harry pouts, sniffling a little. He’s caught a bit of a cold again, which Niall thinks is ridiculous. Must be those damn juice cleanses he’s been hooked on recently. “I thought I looked nice.”  
   
“You look ridiculous,” Niall says. He’s smiling though, probably looking dopily fond. After going through hours and hours of footage, he’s realized it’s his default expression around Harry most days. “I guess it works for you, though.”  
   
Harry beams, dimpling prettily. He straightens the hem of his sheer leopard print shirt and tugs on the lapels of his fitted blazer. His wide-brimmed hat is sitting almost lazily on his curls. Niall still he thinks he looks ridiculous, but if anyone pulls it off ridiculously well, it’s Harry Styles.  
   
“Good, can’t go to my own movie premiere looking sloppy,” Harry smirks. “I see you actually managed to clean up also,” he adds, eyeing Niall up and down.  
   
Niall swats at his arm, hiding the heat rising to his face by pretending he needs to put all his attention into sliding on his black Chelsea boots. “Shut up. It’s my movie premiere also. Gotta look classy, don’t I?”  
   
“Of course,” Harry agrees. He wraps his long arms around Niall in a bone-crushing hug that Niall sinks into after he’s gotten over his surprise. “It’s gonna be great, yeah? Everyone’s gonna love it.”  
   
“I hope so,” Niall says, nose buried in Harry’s shoulder. The anxiety Niall had felt itching under his skin before Harry’s arrival is starting to return again, and he’s already ready for this day to be over.  
   
“They will,” Harry assures. He pulls away, leaving a smacking kiss to Niall’s cheek before grabbing his hand and squeezing it. “Now, c’mon, Horan. We’ve got a red carpet to walk.”  
   
\--  
   
When Harry first approached Niall about directing his first concert film and documentary, Niall almost refused. He loves working with Harry, always has, ever since the first music video the two of them had worked on together, but that’s just the thing. Niall’s never directed anything other than music videos and a few short web series. The idea of directing a full on documentary for who is, at the moment, one of the biggest pop sensations of the world, was a bit daunting for him.  
   
After a few weeks of Harry bugging him, however, Niall finally agreed. He spent almost a year following Harry and his team around the world, and then worked for months with his own team to go through endless hours of footage, picking and choosing what he believed the world should see of popstar Harry Styles. And now, finally, the film’s ready to premiere, and Niall is absolutely bricking it.  
   
“Stop that,” Harry scolds, stopping Niall from chewing his nails down any further.  
   
Niall grimaces, pulling his hand out of Harry’s grip. He sits on it instead, knowing full well that if he doesn’t he’ll end up messing with his nails or scratching at his skin or messing up his carefully styled hair. He’s just so damn nervous. Red carpets have always been awful for Niall anyway, but he knows it’s gonna be so much worse today because this is _his_ film that everyone is coming to watch, _his_ work.  
   
“Are we almost there?” Niall snaps.  
   
Harry just rolls his eyes, squeezing Niall’s thigh. “We’ll be there soon,” he says slowly, calmly.  
   
Niall fidgets, looking out the window and staring at his watch and jiggling his leg frantically. Harry’s staring at him with wide eyes. Niall thinks he looks a bit like a particularly pensive cow.  
   
Niall closes his eyes, tries to remember the deep breathing exercises that his mate Bressie taught him for times like these. It helps a bit, at least well enough that he doesn’t feel like ripping his skin off, and when he finally opens his eyes, the limo is slowing down a bit.  
   
“Hey,” Harry says, grabbing Niall’s wrist when the car comes to a stop. “Everyone’s gonna love it,” he repeats. “And even if they don’t, fuck that. I’m gonna love it no matter what, and that’s what’s most important right?”  
   
This time it’s Niall pulling Harry into a hug, finding enough comfort in Harry’s familiarity that he thinks he’s ready for the next couple of hours.  
   
With one last deep breath and a, “Here we go,” from Harry, Niall opens the door to the limo.  
   
Niall’s immediately assaulted by a flashing lights and deafening screams, but he smiles as bright as he can for the cameras, waving to a few fans. He feels Harry’s hand large and warm on his shoulder, and he’s grateful for how grounded it’s keeping him at the moment.  
   
“Liam and Louis are right over there, yeah?” Harry whispers, pulling Niall back and bringing him closer to him in a way that would probably have made Niall uncomfortable if he wasn’t used to it by now. Niall knows he only does it because of the way it looks on camera.  
   
Harry’s off almost immediately after that, hugging friends and signing autographs for fans, and Niall understands why Harry pointed out Liam and Louis to him. It’s always nice to be around a familiar face during these kind of things.  
   
“Don’t you look nice, Neil?” Louis grins when Niall envelopes him and then Liam in a giant hug.  
   
“Not too bad yourself, Tommo,” Niall laughs.  
   
“You excited?” Liam asks, hands resting on Niall’s shoulders.  
   
“Bit nervous mostly,” Niall admits. He’s already feeling a bit better, though, now that he’s here. It’s a bit easier to pretend it’s just another event that Harry’s been invited to that Niall’s forced to film instead of an event that’s just as much his as it is Harry’s.  
   
“Niall, I’m in the film so it can’t be that bad,” Louis says before narrowing his eyes. “I am in it right?”  
   
Niall laughs loudly. “‘Course, you and Liam both. Can’t have a film about Harry Styles without the brilliant minds behind his song-writing team.”  
   
“Oh, well if Payno’s in it, it’s definitely going to flop then.”  
   
“Oi,” Liam pouts. There are laugh lines forming around his eyes, though, and Niall’s grown more than familiar enough with the dynamics of their relationship to know that Liam’s enjoying the teasing. Niall made sure to put plenty of their banter into the film, knowing that Harry’s fans would absolutely love it.  
   
There’s still a bit of time until the red carpet event’s done, and Niall spends it posing for pictures and making small talk with the people from Harry’s life he’s met over the years. He signs a few autographs too, still a bit surprised that people recognize him despite the fact that he spends most of his time behind the scenes. His nerves are starting to rise again, though, and he sticks to Liam and Louis like glue as it gets closer and closer to the time they’re supposed to be heading inside the theater.  
   
Harry finds them when most of the guests have filtered inside already, coming up and hugging Niall from behind. “We ready to head in?”  
   
“Yeah,” Niall nods, even though he doesn’t feel ready at all. In fact, he feels sort of sick and he wonders if it’d be inappropriate for him to hide in the washroom as the movie played. It seems like a better option at the moment.  
   
Liam’s frowning at him, caterpillar eyebrows furrowed in concern, and he’s about to say something when he gets cut off by screams nearly as ear-splitting as the ones at Harry’s arrival.  
   
“Zayn!” Harry exclaims in excitement, nearly tripping over his feet as he detaches himself from Niall and makes his way over toward the figure stepping onto the red carpet. He practically throws himself into Zayn’s arms, the fans going wild as the two of them giggle at each other fondly.  
   
Niall feels his mouth go a bit dry, and he snaps his jaw shut when he realizes it’s been hanging open ridiculously. There’s no reason for him to be surprised at Zayn’s arrival, not when him and Harry have been best friends since they were both on The X-Factor together. Niall will deny it if asked, but he shed a tear or two when Zayn got eliminated before the finale and held a crying, sixteen-year old Harry in front of millions of viewers while promising them that they haven’t seen the last of him. Their friendship was one of the highlights of that season, and it’s followed them through both of their careers.  
   
Zayn comes out to tour to visit Harry once in a while when he’s not recording or touring himself. Niall’s got hours of footage of him, more than he’d really like to admit. Zayn’s always captivated him. Harry has a tendency to beg for the camera’s attention, but Zayn’s the opposite, always unintentionally drawing it in with his quiet nature and bright grins.  
   
“‘Course Zayn’s late,” Liam says, rolling his eyes fondly. Niall knows that him and Louis had written with Zayn a few times for his last album.  
   
“And of course he looks better than Harry,” Louis adds teasingly.  
   
Niall can’t help but agree. Zayn looks stunning in his navy blue suit and newly buzzed hair. There’s a diamond stud in his nose and gold rings adorning his fingers. Niall feels butterflies in his stomach that has nothing to do with the film premiere.  
   
“Replay,” Liam mutters as Zayn and Harry walk towards them, arms around each other and Zayn smiling a bit sheepishly like he’s apologizing about something.  
   
Louis glares at Liam but still repeats, “And of course he looks better than Harry,” just as Harry gets within hearing distance.  
   
“Heeey,” Harry whines. “See, I told you, Zayn. Couldn’t even let me have the spotlight on my own day, could you, mate?”  
   
“Sorry, babe,” Zayn laughs, tongue pressed against his teeth in a teasing smile. “I already told you that wasn’t my intention. Plus you look -” he stops, looking Harry up and down consideringly, “sexy. Yeah, you can have sexy.”  
   
Harry grins widely, obviously pleased. “Well, now that everyone is officially here, I really do think it’s time to go in.”  
   
Liam and Louis lead the way inside, Harry falling into step with them. Niall can’t help but grin when he catches Harry whisper in a low voice, “Does Zayn really look better than me?”  
   
“Haven’t seen you in a while, Niall. Everything alright with you?” Zayn asks Niall as they follow behind.  
   
Niall nods, ducking his head with a shy smile. “Yeah, things have been great. I mean, not gonna lie, mate, feel a bit like I’m gonna be sick at the moment, but other than that, absolutely great,” Niall says with a shaky laugh.  
   
Zayn nods understandingly. He places a hand on the nape of Niall’s neck, rubbing the back of it gently. “Shit, I totally get that. I feel the same way every time I drop an album. Film’s gonna be brilliant though, I just know it.”  
   
“Thanks, mate,” Niall says. His face is all warm, and he really hopes he’s not blushing too hard at the moment. It’d be a miracle if he isn’t, though. Zayn’s touch is so gentle and, god, he’s so close and smells so good that Niall can’t really believe it.  
   
It all feels a bit surreal, if Niall’s being honest. He’s walking into the premier of his first movie, Zayn Malik’s hand now resting on the small of his back. He’s pretty sure he’d had a dream like this once when he was seventeen and spent most of his time watching The X-Factor and shooting dumb videos of his mates back in Mullingar with the crappy camcorder he cherished since the day his da got it for his birthday. It’s truly hard to believe what his life’s become in just a few years.  
   
This is his life now, though, and remembering that is exactly what Niall needs to give him a boost of confidence as he walks into the theater.  
   
\--  
   
Harry’s the first one out of his seat, clapping wildly when the end credits start rolling and the lights come back up. He pulls Niall up with him, bringing him into a crushing embrace that Niall returns wholeheartedly.  
   
“Fuck, that was amazing, Niall,” Harry says, voice thick and eyes watery as he peppers kisses against Niall’s face. “Brilliant. Fantastic. You’re a legend.”  
   
“Oh my god, shut up,” Niall says, pushing Harry away. He’s smiling, though, cheeks starting to hurt with how hard he’s grinning.  
   
Jesus, he directed a movie. He directed a movie and people _loved_ it. Niall’s never been more proud of himself.  
   
Harry’s already being pulled away by his mum pulling him into a large hug, so Niall looks around him, trying to see if he can spot Louis and Liam in the crowded theater. His anxiety’s all but gone and he feels so good, so happy, like he’s made of air and ready to float away.  
   
Niall spots Liam getting himself a drink and he’s about to make his way over to him when he feels a hand at his waist. He turns around instead to find Zayn smiling at him warmly.  
   
“Hey, Niall,” Zayn says, “great job, bro. That was sick.”  
   
Niall grins, feeling warm under the collar at Zayn’s total attention just on him. “Yeah? You just saying that because you were in it?”  
   
Zayn’s smile grows larger, nose crinkling up just slightly. “Nah, mate, though that was a bonus, I admit. Whole thing was honestly great. We should work together sometime.”  
   
“Of course,” Niall says, laughing in surprise. “Give me a call anytime. Should have more time in my schedule now that I don’t have to follow Harry around with a camera every time he goes to take a piss.”  
   
Niall feels a curl of satisfaction in his belly when Zayn snorts out a giggle. He knows it sounds absolutely mental, but he thinks he would say anything if he was sure it would make Zayn laugh.  
   
“You’re going to the afterparty, right?” Zayn asks.  
   
There’s a crinkle in Zayn’s forehead, like he’s really hoping that Niall will say yes. That’d be ridiculous, of course, and Niall knows that he’s probably just asking as a formality, but Niall can always hope that Zayn would love to spend some more time with him.  
   
“Um, yeah, of course. Can’t skip out on my own party, can I?” Niall’s proud of how steady he keeps his voice, because his heart is suddenly racing out control. Somehow in the last few seconds he’s become a lot more aware of Zayn’s hand still resting on his hip and the sweep of Zayn’s eyelashes and the way he licks his lips every time his eyes fall on Niall’s mouth.  
   
“Great, I’ll definitely see you there,” Zayn replies, patting Niall’s hip with a sweet grin before making his way over toward Harry and his family.  
   
Niall watches Zayn leave with a dopey smile and butterflies inhis stomach, distracted enough that he doesn’t notice Louis until he’s throwing an arm around his shoulder and saying exaggeratedly, “Oh, that was _so sick_ , Niall.”  
   
“I would _love_ to work with you sometime, Niall,” Liam says from Niall’s other side in a horrible imitation of Zayn’s accent.  
   
“Are you going to the after party, Niall?” Louis asks, looking up at Liam from underneath his eyelashes the way Niall sometimes sees Zayn do in interviews and photoshoots.  
   
Liam seems to pick up the cue quickly, switching his accent to an Irish one when he says, “Of _course_ , Zayn. How could I _possibly_ miss it if you’ll be there?”  
   
“I hate you both,” Niall deadpans dryly as Liam and Louis start making kissy faces at each other before falling against one another in their giggles.  
   
“Oh no, Niall,” Louis scolds lightly. He ignores the hiss of pain Niall lets out when his nipple’s tweaked. “That’s not nice. You won’t be saying that when you’ve got a popstar in your bed by the end of the night.”  
   
“You said you would take care of drunk Harry tonight,” Niall says, still rubbing his sore nipple with a pout. Louis is a menace.  
   
“That’s not what I mean,” Louis says, shaking his head. “You and Zayn will be going home together tonight if it’s the last thing Payno and I ever do. This pining has gone on too long.”  
   
Niall rolls his eyes, muttering, “I’m not pining.”  
   
“Totally are, mate,” Liam says sympathetically, cuddling into Niall’s side. “But it’s okay. Zayn totally is too. He’s just too,” Liam pauses, making some vague hand gestures, “y’know, to admit it.”  
   
Niall wonders how much he’s already had to drink. Him and Louis both. They’re both absolutely ridiculous, but Niall’s learned by now that it’s much easier to go along with their plans when they’ve gotten like this than to ignore them.  
   
“Whatever you say, Leemo.”  
   
\--  
   
Louis and Liam are truly an embarrassment.  
   
The afterparty dinner’s at some fancy hotel near the theater, and the first thing Louis does when they get there is secure Niall a seat right next to Zayn. Louis sits on Niall’s other side, Liam across from them with Harry and his family. Even before dinner’s started, Niall can tell this will be a disaster.  
   
“So, Zayn, overheard you telling Niall that you wanted to work with him on something?” Liam asks.  
   
Niall shoots Liam a warning glance, but Liam just blinks back at him innocently. It’s a harmless question, but Niall knows Liam and Louis well enough to know they’re up to no good.  
   
Zayn just shrugs, smiling a bit at Niall as he answers, “Yeah, didn’t have anything specific in mind but, y’know. Documentary was absolutely ace and I love the music video’s he’s done with Harry, so thought it’d be like, cool.”  
   
He pats Niall’s thigh underneath the table, and Niall tries his hardest to keep his hand from shaking.  
   
“You trying to steal my whole team, Malik?” Harry asks, frowning. “First you take my songwriters, now you take my Niall?”  
   
“Your what -?” Niall splutters at the same time Harry’s sister, Gemma, punches Harry’s arm with a, “Harry, for god’s sake.”  
   
“No one’s taking anything, you idiot,” Zayn says, laughing. “Plus, don’t really think Niall belongs to you, does he?”  
   
“Of course I don’t,” Niall says over Harry’s protests. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, highly aware of Zayn’s eyes on him. His lips are quirked in a half-smile, something curious and a bit intense. Niall doesn’t know what to make of it.  
   
“You and Niall would make an interesting pair,” Louis says with a sharp smile, cutting off whatever it is Harry’s rambling about to no one in particular. “I watched your last video the other day. Don’t think it’s really Niall’s style.”  
   
Zayn’s demeanor shifts, his eyes narrowing first at Louis and then at Liam who looks gleefully interested in the turn of this conversation.  
   
“Oh yes,” Liam says, “that was the one of you in the rain wasn’t it? In the white top -”  
   
“No, Payno, it was the other one. The artsy black and white one. Big huge hotel bed, Zayn looking like he’s just -”  
   
“That’s enough,” Zayn interrupts him with a glare.  
   
Louis’s done his damage though, and it’s obvious from the blush creeping up Niall’s neck and the reddening tips of his ears. Louis wasn’t the only one who had watched that video recently, and it’s hard for Niall to forget the heat he’d felt in his belly seeing Zayn all sleep-rumpled, biting his lip as he sang soulfully about lost love. It’s even harder with Zayn sitting there right next to him.  
   
Niall clears his throat awkwardly. "I'm sure Zayn would be willing to try something different."  
   
"Of course," Zayn says, nodding. "Any idea you have is probably brilliant."  
   
Niall ducks his head to hide his grin, ignoring the look Liam and Louis are sharing over the table.  
   
"Well guess you two will just have to _hook up_ then won't you?" Louis asks pointedly.  
   
Niall resists the growing urge to elbow him in the ribs. He wonders if there's anyway to spill his dinner in Louis's lap and make it look like an accident.  
   
"I certainly wouldn't mind hooking up," Zayn says with a wicked grin.  
   
Niall swallows thickly, a bit overwhelmed by Zayn looking up at him through his eyelashes, giving him that sultry music video stare that Niall knows teenage girls practically swoon over. It's hard to concentrate on anything past the dart of Zayn's tongue as he licks his lips and the feeling of his hand still firm and warm on Niall's thigh.  
   
"Suppose hooking up wouldn't be too bad," Niall manages to choke out.  
   
Zayn beams back at him and Niall thinks he can spare his dinner and Louis's trousers just this once.  
   
\--  
   
The rest of dinner passes by much the same with Louis and Liam making suggestive comments the whole while, Harry joining in mercilessly once he picks up on what's happening. The teasing gets less and less subtle with every glass of champagne that the boys drink, and even though Zayn takes it all in stride, Niall's pretty sure the blush in his cheeks is never, ever disappearing.  
   
There's an after-after party at Harry’s favorite club a couple streets away when dinner's over with, and Niall manages to slip away from Louis and Liam on the way there. He and Harry take the car they came in to the club, Harry too busy texting someone to make any remarks to Niall.  
   
Niall appreciates the reprieve and tries to collect himself a little. Zayn's been showering him with attention the whole night, soft touches and private smiles and comments laced with suggestive undertones. Niall really doesn't know what to make of it all. He thinks Zayn may be flirting with him and that seems, well, unbelievable if he's being honest. It's nearly too much for Niall to wrap his head around.  
   
Avoiding everyone gets even easier at the club. Niall's not a huge fan of crowds usually, but a few drinks in it's easier for him to deal with the crush of bodies on the dance floor. It doesn't take long until Niall's undoing the first few buttons of his shirt and letting his hair flop down from it's carefully styled quiff. Niall's just premiered his first movie, and it's nice to just bask in the afterglow of that for a while without Louis and Liam trying to push him and Zayn together when Zayn's probably not interested in Niall anyway.  
   
The next time Niall runs into Zayn, Louis and Liam are nowhere in sight, which is a huge relief. Niall, however, has had quite a lot to drink by then, which may possibly be a bit of a problem.  
   
“Zayn!” Niall exclaims, grinning widely until he stumbles a bit and sloshes half his drink down the front of his shirt. “Oh no, Niall,” he mumbles to himself with a frown that’s aimed partially toward his wet shirt and mostly toward Louis and Liam and their damn _oh no, Niall_ business.  
   
“You okay there, Ni?” Zayn asks, steadying Niall with a hand on his bicep. Niall wishes suddenly that he hadn’t skipped out on all the gym days Harry’s trainer invited him to.  
   
“Think I’m a bit tipsy,” Niall admits. His face is all warm and he’s sure his nose is probably glowing red the way it does whenever he drinks.  
   
Zayn laughs at that, looking more fond than annoyed. “Maybe just a bit.”  
   
“You don’t happen to have an extra shirt do you?” Niall asks.  
   
“I don’t, sorry,” Zayn says, looking like he’s desperately trying to hold back giggles. “How about you sit down though and I’ll get you some napkins, yeah?”  
   
He leads Niall to the bar, running off in search for napkins once he’s made sure Niall’s okay.  
   
Niall’s feeling a bit dizzy now that he’s off his feet. The night’s catching up with him, and by the time Zayn comes back with a large stack of white napkins, he can feels his eyes starting to droop and that heavy feeling in his bones that leaves him aching for bed.  
   
“Lost sight of you after dinner,” Zayn hums. He dabs lightly at Niall’s shirt, hands gentle and careful. Niall likes being taken care of like this. “Been enjoying yourself?”  
   
“It’s been alright,” Niall says with a shrug. “Think I’m ready to go home if I’m being honest though. Feeling totally knackered.”  
   
Zayn’s furrows his eyebrows in concern. “Do you want me to call your car around?”  
   
“Came here with Harry didn’t I? Dunno if I can leave just yet.” Niall frowns, wishing he’d brought his own car now. The idea of waiting around for Harry sounds extremely unappealing. He hasn’t got his own driver, and he’s not exactly sure if Harry’s will leave him behind to take Niall back to his flat. Maybe he can just call a cab.  
   
“I can call mine then?” Zayn suggests.  
   
“No,” Niall says more forcefully than he really intended, surprising them both by grabbing Zayn’s wrist. Zayn freezes, hand still against Niall’s chest.  
   
Niall drops his hand quickly, scratching his nails against the fabric of his pants nervously. Zayn’s staring at him blankly, but he still hasn’t moved his hand.  
   
“You don’t have to do that,” Niall says a bit more quietly, “don’t want to give you any trouble.”  
   
They’re in the VIP section of the club where it’s not nearly as loud, but Niall still wonders if Zayn missed what he said. Niall feels warm under Zayn’s gaze and Zayn’s silence is making him feel like he’s going to itch right out of his skin.  
   
Zayn’s reaction is sudden, his hand moving to his side almost like it’s been burned. Niall frowns mostly out of confusion. His vision is swimming a bit and it’s hard for him to concentrate on everything that’s happening at the moment. Zayn’s still standing close to Niall, dim lights of the club casting shadows on his face. Niall wants desperately to reach out and touch him again. Despite his protests, he wants Zayn to be the one taking him home.  
   
The silence stretches on and Niall doesn’t know how much longer he can sit here, digging his fingers almost painfully into his thighs. He’s nearly ready to leave when Zayn says, “I’m gonna call my driver. Just wait here. I’ll be back.”  
   
He doesn’t give Niall a chance to answer before he’s heading toward the door, so Niall just sits and waits.  
   
\--  
   
The ride back to Niall’s flat is short and tense, Zayn sitting as far from Niall as possible. Niall spends the whole journey drumming his fingers against his legs, sending furtive looks toward Zayn every few minutes. He doesn’t know what to say, what to do, what exactly went wrong in such a short amount of time. There’s a pressure building behind Niall’s eyes, though, and it’s making it hard for him to think all this through.  
   
Zayn steps out of the car too when it comes to a stop outside Niall’s place, causing Niall to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “You don’t have to come up with me.”  
   
“I want to make sure you’re okay,” Zayn says with a small smile that's genuine but not nearly as bright as the one Niall's used to.  
   
They make their way up slowly, Zayn letting Niall lean on him for support when he starts to stumble. Niall tries not to focus too much on how warm Zayn is or how he smells wonderful, boyish and heady like cologne and sweat and cigarette smoke.  
   
Niall fumbles with the keys when they reach his door, hands shaking too much for him to open it properly. “Fuck, I’m a bit more smashed than I thought,” he says with a laugh that’s too loud and too nervous.  
   
Zayn pries the keys from his grip, but doesn’t make a move to open the door. Instead he stares at Niall for a second with that same intense look from dinner, from the club. Niall closes his eyes when he feels Zayn’s hand rest against his cheek, resists the urge to turn his head and nose against Zayn’s palm.  
   
“I want you to ask me to stay,” Zayn whispers. He sounds closer than before and Niall’s sure if he opened his eyes he’d see nothing but Zayn and his warm, brown eyes and thick, long lashes. “I want to make sure you’re okay,” Zayn repeats, “but only if I know you want me here.”  
   
Niall’s pretty sure there’s nothing he’s ever wanted more. “Please stay, Zayn.”  
   
Niall blinks his eyes open when he feels Zayn move his hand away, and he watches as Zayn opens the door to his flat.  
   
Zayn lets Niall lead him through his place, following him to the back where his bedroom is. He waits while Niall changes out of his suit, hanging it up for him when Niall leaves it in a rumpled pile on the floor. He gets Niall paracetamol and a glass of water, placing both on Niall’s bedside table. Niall’s thought about Zayn in his bedroom before, but it never really played out quite like this in his head.  
   
“God, Niall, you won’t believe how badly I want to kiss you, right now,” Zayn says, smoothing back Niall’s hair when he’s all snuggled up under the covers.  
   
“You should do it then,” Niall mumbles. He thinks the words would usually set his heart in a frenzy but he’s so tired. Everything feels a bit like a dream.  
   
“Not right now,” Zayn chuckles. “Not when you’re drunk and sleepy and I have no idea if Liam and Louis were right about how you feel about me.”  
   
“Louis and Liam are never right. Unless they said I’m pining for you, in which case there’s a first for everything.”  
   
Zayn lets out a surprised laugh that makes Niall smile lazily. His eyes are drooping closed and a part of him thinks he imagines it when he feels a pair of dry lips press against his forehead.  
   
\--  
   
Niall wakes up with a dry mouth and a pounding headache and a warm body pressed against his back. There’s an arm thrown over his waist, someone’s breath gently hitting the back of his neck. For some reason, the first thing he thinks to do in his disoriented state is grumble, “I like being the big spoon.”  
   
“Maybe next time.”  
   
Despite the croak in his voice, Niall realizes it’s Zayn straight away. He bolts up immediately, his head swimming and feeling like he might throw up from the sudden motion.  
   
“Jesus fucking Christ -” Niall mutters. “God, how much did I drink last night?”  
   
“A lot,” Zayn mumbles. He’s blinking up at Niall blearily, lips turned up in a slight smirk. “You were quite the mess.”  
   
“I’m not complaining, but why are you in my bed?” Niall asks. He doesn’t remember much from the night before past the time they got to the club.  
   
Zayn smiles a bit, sitting up so he’s leaning against Niall’s headboard. He’s shirtless, Niall’s favorite cheetah print bedsheets pooling around his waist. Niall tries not to stare too shamelessly. “I was going to sleep in your guest room but you um, insisted I cuddled with you.”  
   
Niall feels his face heat up in embarrassment and he lays back down, covering it with his forearm. “Jesus. Sorry about that.”  
   
“Didn’t really mind,” Zayn says, laughing. “Was a bit of a relief to be honest. I was sure for a while that you were avoiding me at the club. And then you didn’t want me to take you home at first. I thought like maybe I upset you? Or that you were starting to feel uncomfortable because of Louis and Liam.”  
   
“I was avoiding you,” Niall admits, face still covered in shame. He doesn’t think he can face Zayn right at this moment. “But only because I thought Louis and Liam were making _you_ uncomfortable.”  
   
Zayn laughs again, saying, “They couldn’t if they tried.”  
   
Niall risks a peek at Zayn, asking, “I didn’t like say anything else too embarrassing last night, did I?”  
   
Zayn’s smiling down at him, eyes crinkled in amusement. “You told me you were pining for me. Does that count as embarrassing?”  
   
“I did not,” Niall squeaks, eyes widening. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”  
   
This is probably the single worst moment of Niall’s life. He’s half naked in bed with Zayn, nursing the worst hangover of his life after admitting to him that he’s been fucking _pining_. Niall’s never drinking ever again.  
   
“You did, right after I told you I wanted to kiss you.”  
   
“God, I’m so sor - wait, what?”  
   
Niall freezes, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest. Maybe he’s still dreaming. There’s no way Zayn would want that, not after he apparently made a total tit of himself the night before. No, this must be a dream.  
   
“I said I wanted to kiss you, just not when you were drunk,” Zayn explains, still smiling.  
   
“Don’t think I’m drunk anymore,” Niall says. “Though I may still be dreaming.”  
   
“Definitely not dreaming.”  
   
Zayn leans down, closing the gap between them. Niall’s head is still pounding and his mouth probably tastes like arse but god, Zayn is _kissing_ him. His mouth is soft and hesitant, his fingertips brushing lightly against Niall’s face before tangling in his hair. It takes a second for Niall to respond, but he does so with fervor, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.  
   
“This isn’t some, like, weird prank right?” Niall asks when they part. They’re still close, Zayn’s hand on the nape of Niall’s neck and their noses brushing together softly.  
   
“God, no, Niall. Why do you think I kept visiting Harry on tour this year? And asking you to work with me? And going along with Louis and Liam every time they tried to push us together? I’ve wanted this for ages,” Zayn says.  
   
“Sick,” Niall responds, pressing their mouths together again. He kisses Zayn hungrily, pushing him down onto the mattress. If this really does end up being a dream, Niall hopes he never wakes up.  
   
\--  
   
**Epilogue**  
   
Zayn’s clutching tight onto Niall’s hand, hard enough that Niall’s a bit afraid that it might fall off or something.  
   
“Nervous?” he whispers into Zayn’s ear, aware that there’s probably a camera somewhere that is right on the two of them.  
   
“No, shut up,” Zayn retorts, elbowing Niall gently in the ribs. His grip tightens, though, and Niall doesn’t believe him for a second.  
   
Niall smirks, turning back toward the stage where Harry’s holding the winning envelope in his hand. He’s rambling on about something or another, and okay, maybe Zayn’s not the only one dying to know what it is written on that slip of paper. This is a huge moment. For both of them.  
   
“Anyway, I think you’re all wondering about the award,” Harry grins, winking at Zayn and stifling his laugh when Zayn flips him off not-so-discreetly. Niall’s sure the moment will get gif’d in record time.  
   
Harry pauses, fumbling with the envelope in his hand; the obvious joy on his face when he spots the name can really only mean one thing. “The winner of this year’s MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year goes to…Mr. Zayn Malik!”  
   
Niall leaps out of his seat, whooping for joy as he pulls Zayn up with him and into the tightest embrace he’s ever given. He smacks a kiss onto Zayn’s slack mouth in congratulations, laughing when Zayn is still staring at him with disbelief etched into his face. Zayn seems shell shocked, so surprised that Niall has to give him a little push toward the stage where Harry’s waiting with open arms and Zayn’s third MoonMan of the night.  
   
“Holy fuck,” Zayn breathes out when he’s given Harry a hug and stepped up to the podium. “This is unbelieveable. Like. I really didn’t even expect one award tonight, let alone three. I think I’m running out of people to thank.”  
   
The audience laughs as Zayn licks his lips nervously with a pleased grin. Niall’s smiling so hard it hurts and there’s nothing he wants more than to rush up on stage and pepper Zayn’s face in a million kisses.  
   
“There is one person I’d like to thank, though,” Zayn continues. “And that is the amazing director of this video, Niall Horan. I love you so damn much, I don’t know where I’d be without you right now.”  
   
Warm butterflies dance in Niall’s stomach as he ducks his head to make his smile a little less obvious. He’s so proud, of Zayn, of himself, of Louis and Liam for writing one of the hottest tracks of the past year.  
   
Niall barely catches the end of Zayn’s speech, doesn’t notice him leaving the stage until he’s being swept up into Zayn’s familiar arms again. Zayn’s laughing into his neck before kissing him fiercely.  
   
“Told you we’d make the best damn video ever,” Niall says, smiling against Zayn’s mouth.  
   
“I never doubted you for a second.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated. To niallszayn: I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKED THIS SORRY AGAIN FOR THE MIX UP.


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